The Israeli military successfully rescues four Hamas captives from the Gaza Strip unharmed.
The four recently released hostages are identified as 26-year-old Noa Argamani, 22-year-old Almog Meir Jan, 27-year-old Andrey Kozlov, and 41-year-old Schlomi Ziv. These individuals were reportedly kidnapped during a Hamas attack on October 7th at the Nova Music Festival in Israel's southern region.
The hostages seem to be in good health, as stated by the authorities. They were taken to a nearby hospital in Tel Aviv for medical assessment. Social media posts depicted Argamani being welcomed by her father and jubilant crowd in Tel Aviv, who were celebrating the news of the hostages' release. Television footage displayed Argamani speaking over a phone call with Israel's President Isaac Herzog.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel wouldn't give in to terrorism and would continue to take actions creatively and fearlessly to retrieve its hostages.
The freed hostages were reportedly held captive in a neighborhood of the Nuseirat refugee camp. According to the army spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, these individuals were detained in two residential buildings. Instruction: https://clipped.im/376dcn With multiple floors, these buildings housed not only guards, but also civilians.
During the operation to liberate the hostages, there were clashes that led to the injury of an Israeli police officer. Unfortunately, the officer eventually succumbed to his injuries. The rescuers were also attacked by militants who fired rocket-propelled grenades.
The Hamas government in Gaza declared a death toll of 210 people and more than 400 injured, resulting from Israeli attacks in Nuseirat on October 8th. However, these claims remain unverified independently. A spokesperson for Al-Aksa Hospital in Deir al-Balah had previously announced that at least 15 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting locations in the center of the Gaza Strip, including Nuseirat. The Hamas regime ignored the release of four Israeli hostages in Nuseirat when announcing these figures.
The Israeli Defense Minister, Joav Gallant, expressed his happiness for the hostages' return home. He referred to the rescue operation as "heroic." The Family Forum of the Hostages also expressed relief over this news, characterizing it as a "triumphant moment," and urging the Israeli government to further negotiate for the release of the remaining captives.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) deemed the release of the four Israelis as an "encouraging sign" for the relatives of the ongoing hostages. US President Joe Biden, during a France visit, assured his support in working towards the release of all hostages and a cease-fire in Gaza.
The Israeli military has been engaged in the Gaza Strip since October 7th, engaging in combat against Hamas. This confrontation started after Hamas conducted a large-scale ambush on Israel in which, according to Israeli reports, 1194 people were slain and 251 people were kidnapped into the Gaza Strip. 116 hostages are still in Hamas captivity, as communicated by the Israeli army, with 41 of them having already passed away.
In response to Hamas's attack, the Israeli army has escalated its operations in the Gaza Strip, primarily focusing on Nuseirat. The Israeli defense forces announced their intention to target "terrorist infrastructure in the Nuseirat area" on October 8th. In the northern part of Gaza, rescue services reported that five people died following an Israeli fighter jet's bombardment of a residential building in the middle of the night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV7w2umYl7w
